Dec 27, 2014

saturday med.itation: A Typhoon Is A Hurricane Is A Cyclone

Whirling winds come in at least four
forms: simple whirlwinds that do little more than stir up dust on a
hot day; tornadoes, which intensely sweep along a relatively small
path; hurricanes, which are vast swirling storms covering many square
miles; and regular low-pressure weather patterns representing the
common not-so-dangerous storms that occur routinely. Traditionally we
have used the word “cyclone” to describe any type of tempest that
consists of dangerous twisting winds. But the word originated in the
Old World, where the only “twisters” were what we refer to in
North America as hurricanes. Consequently, “cyclone” has come to
mean one of the large storms (like our hurricanes) that swirl out of
the Indian Ocean and affect the weather of Europe and Western Asia.
So a “cyclone” is a hurricane in the Indian Ocean.

New World explorers replaced the word
“cyclone” with “hurricane,” a variation of the West Indian
word for the storms. The word “hurricane” now refers only to
large cyclonic storms that swirl out of the tropical Atlantic Ocean.

That leaves the Pacific Ocean. Can you
figure out the word for hurricane-type storms in the Pacific? It’s
“typhoon”, a word that has its origins in the languages of the
South Pacific.

So a hurricane is a cyclone in the
Atlantic Ocean, A typhoon is a cyclone in the Pacific Ocean, and the
only place where the word “cyclone” is still commonly used as it
was originally intended is in Indian Ocean.

By the way, in the Northern
Hemisphere, cyclones whirl in a counter clockwise direction, whereas
in the Southern Hemisphere they whirl clockwise. Scientist believes
such storms regulate heat on earth and help equalize the natural
precipitation that makes our planet such a perfect place for life.
So, in a way, the storms are a necessary part of our existence in the
world as we know it. When do you suppose cyclones began to appear on
earth, and why?